The 2022 Arab Human Development Report assesses the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Arab States region’s sustainable human development trajectory.

The scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic on human development has been felt well beyond the spread of the virus itself to the impacts of the controls to contain it and the measures to alleviate its broader impacts. Lockdowns, closures and mobility restrictions reduced people’s freedoms. And economic down-turns stripped many people of their livelihoods while reducing public resources for healthcare and safety nets, especially for those already vulnerable.

The Report reviews the prospects for human development in the region and contends that getting human development back on track in the post-pandemic era will require greater efforts to make governance systems more accountable and responsive, economies more diversified and competitive, and societies more cohesive and inclusive —in order to ensure a resilient recovery for all.